NEUTER QUESTION!!!

[Chels*Claud*Midas]

Hey guys! i have a question.. i have a 6 month old goldendoodle puppy.. i have posted before about his mouthing issues and nipping my husband and i. my husband wanted to wait to neuter him until about 1 year old.. because he heard it can stunt his growth and the size of his head. but this mouthing thing is driving us crazy! does neutering a puppy calm them down a little? is that really true? what was your personal experiance? thanks xoxo  

[Jen Fischer]

I had the same considerations about neutering, but found that it does NOT stunt their growth. On the contrary, one study showed it slowed the closing of the growth plates resulting in a taller, lankier dog:

Studies done in the 1990's concluded dogs spayed or neutered under one year of age grew significantly taller than non-sterilized dogs or those not spayed/neutered until after puberty. And the earlier the spay/neuter procedure, the taller the dog.

We chose to neuter earlier (4 1/2 months) to lesson the chances he will hump or lift his leg to mark everything in sight. So far, so good! He still squats to pee. It's a personal decision, of course. And you will find strong opinions on both sides -- some believe the excess growth could cause skeletal problems down the road, for instance.

Good luck!

[Barbara B., Sasha & Oliver]

My Oliver was neutered at 5 1/2 months and he is a big boy, very tall but thin.  ALL puppies go thru that biting/nippy stage, they explore everything with their mouths = they are learning.  It does pass... I promise !!!  Some dogs are worse than others, my Sasha was very bity and mouthy but my Ollie was not.  He did go thru the bite stage but very quick, Sasha's lasted a bit longer.  I don't think the neutering had anything to do with the biting stage.   Oliver is 2 1/2 and he still squats/stretches to pee only once in a while he will lift his leg and that is only if he can actually walk into bushes or something, he is tall so I guess he needs the bushes to balance himself - LOL.   Ollie never lifted his leg in the house because he did not know how, he went thru the normal potty training stage but never "marked".

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Training Works! I think neutering helps, but TRAINING is what you most need.
P. S. this probably could have been posted Once- maybe the main page, but I see you posted the same discussion in every group.
It a great question. It is more helpful to you, to have one discussion. A good back and forth dialog in one area >it helps the readers to also know what is needed.
Keeps us all on one page- ALL ON THE SAME PAGE- so to speak :)

[Chels*Claud*Midas]

i have been training him.. he has had a private in home trainer and now we started puppy obediance classes. i train him myself at home as well as my husband.. anytime you go to pet him his mouth flys around and is around ur hands or arm.. nothing stops him.. of course i replace my hand with a toy.. he doesnt care..he prefers my hand. if i shake the bitter apple spray bottle by him he will walk away..but i dont want him to walk away i want to pet him and play with him. whenhe gets rough which is always i will put him in his crate for a time out. he comes out and does the same thing.. i walk into the other room and ignore him..if i come back and try to play.. he starting biting again. he starts from the minute he wakes up and i try kissing and petting him. he goes on 2 walks a day...plays frisbee outside.. when he is biting i can yelp all i want..wont stop him.. trainer even had me press down on his tounge when he bites.. still doesnt care.. nothing will stop him.. pin him down.. he comes back harder.. he gets trained obedience in the house every day.. but that does not affect his biting.. he can learn all sorts of commands..but the biting has nothing to do with that..he still wants to bite.. and the reason i posted it in my groups is because i want to hear many peoples answers.. with all different age dogs.. ex: puppy madness.. heavyweights.. from pup to adult..  :)

[Joani, Skadi & Elli]

This is really bringing back memories of my doodle ... I had exactly the same problems...horrible, nasty little puppy I thought ... not the cuddly thing I imagined.  I did everything you are doing.  We also put weights in the middle of the living room and leashed her to them so she could only go so far... because she wanted a piece of me everytime I walked by.

She was born in July and at xmas time that year it was like a switch was flipped and she calmed right down.  A miracle finally!  I had her spayed after this time.  Now, 2 years later the vet told me she has arthritis in her right knee and a person that breeds dogs told me the arthritis could be due to having her spayed before her first heat cycle.  I know you have a boy, but I wanted to share this info.

P.S.  She has become the most loving dog I have ever ever had...in spite of me squirting her in the mouth with lemon water to make her stop biting ... my hands were covered with bite marks...thanks for the memories

[Joani, Skadi & Elli]

PSS.  Keeping your dog calm really helps too. When you come into the house or greet him for the first time do not say anything, do not make eye contact, do not touch him unless he is calm...or until he is calm.  My doodle is still crazy when I see her for the first time during a day like after work and I pick her up from doggie day care...she bounces off the walls...but I do not acknowledge her at all, just put her in the car and by the time we get home she is calmed down and then we have our love session. :)

 

[Jennifer]

I would have the neuter done now vs. waiting another 6mo. I don't think it will make any difference as far as growth goes. It may mellow him out some but I think time will do that to. It sounds like you're doing everything right to deal with it though. If it helps, my GD is still very mouthy at 8 & 1/2 months old. He no longer bites, but he still wraps his mouth around whatever part of your body he can get at. He's way better than he was when we first brought him home though and I'm confident that with time, training and our continued patience he'll continue to get better and better.

Have you tried bully sticks? We used those when Finn was really chewy. I don't know what I would have done without them, it gave us a break and we were able to pet him without him biting us when he had one.

[Chels*Claud*Midas]

thank u! yes we use bully sticks they are a god send.. lol i only use them about once every other night tho..lol.. i get them from.. bestbullysticks.com wholesale! :) ...Midas biting habit has gotten better then when we first got him..but it still is going strong lol.. i guess time will tell lol

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

He needs other chew objects besides bully sticks, especially if he's teething. Something he can have access to all the time. One thing that works well for some dogs is to soak a washcloth in water, wring it out thoroughly, tie it in a big knot, and freeze it. You might also try antlers.

Also, to help curb nipping and mouthing, it is important that you never play games that encourage it. This means no games in which the dog grabs something from your hand, and no games where you pull anything out of the dog's mouth. A lot of people, men especially, use their hands in the dog's mouth when playing, so make sure no visitors are doing this, either. A dog's teeth should never be touching human skin or clothing.  When playing fetch, the dog must drop the ball before you take it; do not wrestle it out of his mouth. And never, ever hold a toy or treat above a dog's head and encourage him to jump up and grab it. He must always be sitting before getting a treat or toy.

Neutering may help "calm" a dog down in the sense that it eliminates testosterone, but it is not going to stop bad habits; only training can do that.

I would not worry about stunting growth or the size of his head by neutering him at 6 months.

[Chels*Claud*Midas]

thank u! he lost all his teeth a few weeks ago..but maybe they still hurt..idk.. i will try the antlers..they are safe? the bully sticks he flys through now lol..

[Chelsie]

Yes...love bulky sticks! Peace and quiet finally surfaces when I break out the bully sticks. Everything else Sam seems to get bored with...but not the bully sticks!

[F, Calla & Luca]

Luca was neutered when he was about 10 weeks old. He became a puppy shark anyway. Training, crating, leashing him to the doorknob all helped. I realized he need a collar on at all times so that I could grab him and do whatever, crating, or leashing him, I needed to. He now has the gentlest touch when I give him a treat. I give him pills with my hand down his throat etc. So it will get better, in a couple of months I think.